Better Without
by dreamer779
Summary: Sasuke was long gone from her life. So were her old team. She lived without them. She was better without them. But one day, all of her perfect life's peaces fell down. It was the day her once best friends came back. And took everything from her. Again.


**Full Summary - **Sasuke was long gone from her life. So were her old team mates. She moved on. Lived without them. She was better without them. But one day, all of her perfect life's peaces fell down. It was the day her once best friends came back. And took everything from her. Again.

**Rating** – M

**Genre** – Drama, Humour, _Romance _

**Disclaimer** – _I Don't Own __**„Naruto"**_

**Important** – English is not my first language, sorry for mistakes.

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Better without.

_(by dreamer779)_

Prologue

Sakura found they're replacements. Not exactly the same, but in a way, even better. She didn't wanted a copy of her old team, her friends, her _family_. She didn't wanted to get hurt again.

They've hurt her so much. She was torn. Broken. Unwanted. Left out. Sakura never wanted to repeat that experience again. She wasn't sure she could make it out sane this time.

Sakura didn't know exactly _how_ she made it out alive the first time they left her.

She trusted them completely, never asked for explanation of they're actions. That's how much she adored them, how much she loved them. She thought that that feeling was mutual. Oh, how wrong she was. How stupid she was being.

She was blind. She trusted them too much. They left her. None of them said anything to her. Not even a simple goodbye. But she would be stupid to blame them. That wasn't they're fault.

She was the one and only to blame. She, Sakura Haruno. She was too weak. Too damn emotional. Too damn naïve. She always needed protection. She was known as Team 7's hindrance. The one to hold them down. The one, who was always in a way.

She thanked God, the higher power above, her secret guardian, her new friends (just because old ones left her out), her mentor, mother figure, Tsunade, and finally, her own will power, that she wasn't the same again.

Her new friends. Her new team, her family. She would always, not knowing, smile, at the thought of them. Just a small, light, true smile. She would never trade them for old ones. It took her a while to understand that, but when she did, she felt right. She felt that for the first time in years she wasn't lying to the others, to herself in the first place.

Sure, she missed Kakashi. He was always like a father to her. He was the only one, whom she trusted her most secret secrets. She loved the look in his eyes when he was watching his students. Pride. She only then realized that there never was that look in his eyes, when he would glance at her.

She missed Naruto, his enthusiasm, his free spirit, his laugher. She just simply missed him. She would always get this empty feeling when walking by the Ramen stand. Not truly realizing that, actually, she was looking for him, to be sitting there, in his usual spot, slurping his favorite dish and talking, well, more like yelling, with full mouth.

She missed Sai. They all knew how much alike he was with Sasuke. Maybe that's one of the reasons, why they bonded so easily. But with each passing day, Sakura realized that they were more different than alike. She loved the moment's, when Sai would say something idiotic, that he red from his book, and, while everybody else would laugh at him, he would silently sit with that look in his eyes. He would look so confused, so lost, so… _true_.

She even missed Sasuke. She, just like everybody else in this village (and out side of it) knew how much of a jerk he was being. But she just couldn't help it. She missed him. Maybe even still loved him. Sakura didn't knew what kind of love she felt for the bastard, but she knew perfectly well, that there was it. Deep inside her already damaged heart. Maybe brotherly love, that she felt for Naruto, maybe the kind that you feel for your past lover, maybe even _the_ love.

She couldn't help it.

They meant everything to her. She meant nothing to them.

She would sometimes go to the church and thank. Thank the power above, that she wasn't the same she used to be around her old team.

That she wasn't a naïve, little girl, whom always needed protection. That now _she _was the one protecting the others, her past friends (who long time ago did the same to her), from danger, that they were too weak to protect themselves from.

She always felt alive doing that. She felt needed, irreplaceable. She felt strong. She just felt right.

Ando. Takeo. Daiichi. Anko. That was the names that now replaced Kakashi, Naruto, Sai and Sasuke. She felt right with them. She felt at ease, like that was where she belonged to be from the first day.

She was more that grateful that they never asked why her eyes become dull, when they walk by the lonely bench the Konohakure gates or why she would suddenly quit talking and become silent while walking on the red bridge. Maybe they knew. Maybe they knew that all along, but never asked. And that was all that she needed at the moments like these.

Probably that's why they all risked with everything they had, to protect each other, in battle field and outside of it. They needed each other. Like air they breath. Because they knew pretty well, that without each other, they would simply fall apart. Become life-less once more.

Now that she thought about that, she's pretty sure that she won't trade her new team, her new family for the old one. Sakura wanted for them to last. Wanted for them to stick together.

Maybe not forever, because she knew that there was no such a thing as 'forever' in shinobi world, but as long, as they could. Until they'd be ready to live on they're own. To live with they're own pain, sadness, betrayal.

Those four people managed to do wonders to her. Even thought they looked cool and collected on the outside, the five knew that they would be lost without each others smiles, laughter, sarcastic comments, ironic talks, warm looks and a simple presence.

Sakura loved the way Anko and Daiichi would bicker for the most stupid things. The way Ando would call the truce between them and suggest to make a dinner for the five of them, the way everybody would immediately become alerted and try to do everything to keep him away from the kitchen. The way Takeo and herself would sit on the rooftop, while everybody was soundly asleep, and simply watch the night sky, not talking, not pretending, just being themselves. Or the way they understand each other just by a simple look.

They managed to pull her together, to make her whole again. To do the exact opposite to the thing, the other four did years ago.

"I'm whole again. Thank you." She sighted as she plopped on her bed an closed her eyes.

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New story.

R.R.!


End file.
